Angel of Hope Memorial Service: Supporting parents who have lost a child

The death and loss of a child are frequently called the ultimate tragedy. Some say nothing can be more devastating. Along with the usual symptoms and stages of grief, many issues make bereavement particularly difficult to solve. Every year at Leif Erickson Park in Duluth there is an, Angel of Hope Memorial Service. It is held at the Angel of Hope statue that was put up in Leif Erickson. It is a spot where grieving parents, grandparents, and guardians, can go to mourn the loss of a child.

“Everybody that comes here is part of the same circle and has had the same thing happen to them. So anybody you walk up to whenever you’re here, they’ve gone through the same thing you have. And the more you can share your child’s story, the easier it is to grieve. Going through the process. Sharing stories. Keeping the memory alive for your child,” says Dan Ansello, one of the co-founders of Angel of Hope.

The idea for Angel of Hope derived from Richard Paul Evans story, The Christmas Box.  Ansello and his fellow peers talked about it and decided that going through grief counseling that they would all like to bring the statue to Duluth. They all created a board, did fundraising, and they were successful.

“When we were going through the grief counseling process, we found that some of the people that have lost their children, they don’t get to have a burial for them. So this is kind of a place that they can come and grieve and have your child’s birth date and dust it and a place to come to remember them,” continues Ansello.

Surviving the death and loss of a child takes dedication to live. As a parent, you gave birth to life, and to see that life gone is unimaginable pain. For those going through grief, you must make a new commitment to living, as hard or impossible as it may seem.

To find more info about, Angel of Hope, check out their website here: https://www.duluthangelofhope.org/